


Night Terrors

by PorcelainLove



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Mild Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Platonic Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 06:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13735485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainLove/pseuds/PorcelainLove
Summary: Deep in the Keep, Prompto had been found.  But while everyone put on a brave face, it soon became clear to Ignis - the only one not lost in restless slumber - that not all was well.(Or, night terrors help facilitate a conversation between two friends.)





	Night Terrors

**Author's Note:**

> This started off as a Promnis fic that I wrote well before Episode Prompto and Episode Ignis. Then I stopped writing because I don't really ship it so it was hard to continue. Cue months passing by and I'm going through my semi-completed fics and realize that I could probably actually write this fic if it was more platonic than anything else. 
> 
> This isn't my best work and I'm sorry about that but after months and months of this just taunting me from my doc folder.... I needed to finish it come hell or high water xD
> 
> Hopefully some of you enjoy it?

These days Ignis felt rather lost.

Not necessarily in a physical sense, of course, because there always someone to guide his path, ensure he went the correct direction, didn’t stumble… But in his heart, he was adrift.  He was used to being relied upon, not the other way around and it was… difficult to adapt.

And then there was the matter of his grave injury.  Ignis couldn’t let himself give in to despair, fall prey to that sweet pull of deep depression - no matter what. 

Relative optimism was the key.  Slow and steady wins the race or, at least, would get you to the finish line.

If anything, he was more aware than ever before without his eyesight to count upon.  Eyes could be tricked, could be fooled, especially with an adversary such as Ardyn Izunia.  Being sighted in that man’s presence was a definite disadvantage.

As such, Ignis knew his other senses had grown stronger, especially his hearing.  Touch and smell had their limits but his hearing was always useful.  From the _tap tap_ of his cane on the ground that told him where he was walking and how big an area he was in, to the breathing of his friends that described their state and condition. 

Ignis could even hear that subtle shift in the air when a daemon materialized and often managed to draw first blood.

There was talk of leaving him behind, for a short while at least, but that plan fell through.  Thankfully.  He knew he was a liability and that Gladio’s attempts to dissuade him from going with the party were not based in hatred, but in kindness.  Gladio didn’t want to see him get hurt.  No one did. Even so, it made him feel proud when Noctis out and out refused to leave him behind. 

Still it didn’t do much to ease his conscience that he was the one who slowed everyone down.  Even with Prompto lost and Noct separated from them, Ignis felt that Gladio could have found Noctis much faster on his own. 

But no matter.  They had all come together again.  Found Noct, found Prompto, found their footing.  And this convenient rest area was the ulwaat berry on the top of an unstable soufflé: welcome enough, but did nothing to ease frayed nerves.

That said, Ignis did find it harder and harder to sleep these days.  The oppressing darkness made it difficult to determine whether he was actually awake or just dreaming.  He often resorted to touching his face, his scars, to root himself in reality.  His dream self was whole, complete, unblemished. 

That was the best way to keep himself sane, to understand what was real and what was not.

Pain was real. The ever-present dull ache was real.  He was real.  And he’d keep going as long as he had the ability to do so.

The four of them were settled for the night, or at least for the time being. Who really knew the difference between night and day anymore?  The bunkbeds were small, hard, and likely covered in all kinds of fascinating bacteria.  But they were a lifesaver and exactly what the group needed. 

Sometimes it felt like Ardyn was playing a game with them all.  He’d lead them down a dark path full of horrors and just when they felt like they were close to their end… they’d find a path through the darkness.  Just what did the man want?

There was a whispery sound to Ignis’s far right and he went still, analyzing.  He hadn’t heard the door open, it was obviously not a daemon.  There were light snores to his left and just the vaguest creak of bedsprings: Noctis and Gladio, respectively.  That just left one.

“Prompto?”

The noise stopped immediately and Ignis knew he was correct.  The blond man had gone through a terrifying ordeal and even though he played it off well, he had still taken the farther bed away from the group.  No one had wanted to press the matter, but it seemed that Prompto hadn’t chosen his location at random.

“Prompto, are you all right?” Ignis raised his voice slightly, just enough to be heard a little more clearly over the snores.  He didn’t want to wake up Noctis or Gladio because Prompto’s reaction indicated discomfort and… panic?  Yes, if he concentrated he could hear the breathing of his companion at a much more rapid pace than usual. 

Prompto was afraid. But of what?

Ignis waited for a response and when none was forthcoming, he eased himself off his cot.  He decided against looking for his glasses because this seemed like entirely the wrong sort of occasion for a mask. 

The layout of the room was simple enough, described in detail by gruff voice and friendly grip.  Ignis therefore felt safe leaving his cane propped up against the foot of the cot.

Prompto must not have realized that Ignis was coming over because there was a resurgence of the sniffling noise and a hitch in his breathing. Trying to calm himself down, quite likely.  But it didn’t appear to be working because by the time Ignis shuffled over (almost braining himself on the metal ladder when he bent too soon) he could feel the distress coming off the boy in waves.

Ignis was very attuned to troubled minds.  Noctis had been a challenge in his youth and it had been Ignis’s job to comfort the errant Prince whenever it was required.  In many ways, his position was more than just a job. 

Though technically an employee and in fact barely more than a few years older, he felt like they were decades apart at times.  However, he felt true affection for the lad and had spent many a night holding off on his own plans to be a sounding board for Noct’s anxious thoughts.

There had even been more than one occasion when he held the boy until he fell asleep, surprised himself with a laissez faire attitude towards his tear and snot-smudged clothing.

Although taking one’s boots off in an unknown location was less than sanitary, Ignis was frankly unable to sleep with them on. He crept over to Prompto wearing his uniform, slightly worse for wear, and sock-covered feet.  Without the distinct tap of boot soles against the floor, Ignis figured he’d unintentionally be sneaking up on Prompto.  He tried to make a little more noise in the vain hope that it would help.

Even though the halls and common areas were abandoned, there was a surprisingly little amount of dust.  In a way Ignis supposed it made sense, dust was mostly dead skin cells and there was no humans alive around for miles… Even so, it was disconcerting.

Ignis knew that all the beds in the room were the same size.  And Prompto chose to be far away, hide from the group as best he could therefore he likely faced the wall.  Therefore it stood to reason that he would be curled on his side and Ignis would be able to sit down without accidently touching the boy.

Reaching out a hand, Ignis fumbled for a shoulder.  He found it, and squeezed reassuringly as he brought the rest of his body down to the bed.  If fear had a scent, Prompto stank of it.  And there was a distinct clammy quality to Prompto’s skin.  He wasn’t sweating now, calling the air warm would be laughable, but he had been.  Ignis was mildly concerned that the blond was coming down with something.

After all, who knew what Ardyn had done to the boy.  Finding him strung up as they did, well, hearing about it from Gladio in whispers so as not to disturb the others.  All those bruises and cuts, not to mention the certainty of mental anguish....  But only two people really knew what happened, and Ignis really didn’t think he wanted to know, in the end. 

Maybe the Chancellor was innocent in this respect: he did seem to favour mental rather than physical torture. 

Except in the case of Lady Lunafreya…

That poor girl.  Woman.  The Oracle… Noctis’s last unprotected friend… Ardyn had certainly not been subtle when he dealt with her.  They would all – all of Eos – be feeling the repercussions of that action for many years to come. 

Prompto lapsed again into quiet shivers and soft whimpers and it was only then that Ignis realized he was still asleep. All those whispers and tears were coming from someone still asleep, trapped in a nightmare if Ignis had to guess.  It wasn’t hard to understand where all that terrifying material was coming from.

While there were some that said waking someone from a nightmare was a poor idea – similar to sleepwalking – because the afflicted one wouldn’t know where they were and the panic could rise, Ignis disagreed.  However, there was definitely a need to be delicate, especially in Prompto’s case.

Ignis moved his body as close as he could and reached down, fingers bumping along buckles and seams and sweat-soaked patches of cloth until he got his bearings.  Then he stretched his hand across Prompto’s brow, urging the other to lean into his warmth, before lowering his mouth and whispering the boy’s name directly into his ear.

“Prompto.”

Ignis liked to think that his voice was a pillar of strength in the lonely darkness.  That Prompto would hear it and be calm. Latch onto it like it was a rope cast into murky water and use it to pull himself from his terror.  It was foolish, but it was a nice thought nonetheless.

Instead, Prompto rocketed upwards.  Pure instinct, like that which drove Ignis to know where daemons would appear, was the only thing that kept him from a bloody nose compliments of the blond’s shoulder. 

“Iggy?” Came the breathless voice.  It was so quiet that had Ignis not been sitting directly beside it, he likely wouldn’t have heard a thing.

Ignis must have made a noise of assent because not a moment passed before Prompto had rearranged himself and Ignis found himself with his arms full.  The boy’s hair, chocobo-like in its fluffy quality, even as unwashed and dirty as it likely was after all this time, tickled Ignis’s nose and the man fought the urge to sneeze.  Oddly enough, as terrified and upset as Prompto had appeared before, the moment Ignis had dropped his arms down and around his friend’s shoulders, the other seemed to steady.  His breathing was already stronger than it had been, although there was a slight hitch to be found if Ignis really focused.

It seemed a good sign, in any case.  He was Noct’s rock, even though most people thought Gladio looked more the part.  Ignis was pleased that he could support Prompto, even in the smallest way possible.  It was childish to think of, but the fact that he could help… it calmed Ignis’s restless spirit.

There was a fluttering going on around Ignis’s face which led Ignis to believe it was Prompto’s fingertips, rather than his hair, doing the touching.  His scars were fascinating, he himself had touched them time and time again, as if unwilling to believe that they were now a permanent fixture. 

Along with the many, many scars (both visible and not), Ignis had unfortunately discovered that his face was less sensitive to sensation compared to before his-- … yes.

It brought him back to his childhood, before he was brought to live with Noctis.  Of how his mother would kiss his eyelids and the tip of his nose when he was feeling sad.  How she would flick the small hairs between his eyebrows in exasperation when he said something that was factually correct but not what she wanted to hear.

Such small things at the time, but he felt his heart jerk with the knowledge that he’d never be able to experience those touches again.  Not from her, not from anyone.  The numbness was spreading, and with his glimpse of the future… he knew one day it would overtake his heart.

The air between his and Prompto’s faces felt humid.  Was Prompto crying again? 

Ignis raised his thumb and brushed in the general vicinity of where he suspected the origin of those tears began.  Yes, plentiful indeed.  But then Prompto was speaking and Ignis couldn’t stop brushing away those warm, bitter drops…

“No one understands, Iggy.  No one.”  The voice was sad but steady, as if knowing that weakness wouldn’t do any good before anyone could tell him so. 

“Understands what, Prompto?”

“That I’m a… – basically a hibernating monster.  I saw my future and… and it scares me.  I thought I could get through it.  I thought with your help, and Noct and Gladio… but Ardyn…” Prompto trailed off.

Ignis’s ears burned.  He knew exactly what vile thoughts Ardyn Izunia could have filled Prompto’s head with.  The truth, the lies, everything was intermingled with that man.  One falsehood in every breath, but twisted so well and spoken so eloquently, one could never be sure what the intention behind the words actually was.  If Ignis didn’t despise the man so, he could almost admire him.

“What did Ardyn say to you?”

“It doesn’t matter.  It doesn’t, not anymore.  I fought so hard to get back to you guys but no matter how tough I am during the day, I’m reduced to a sniveling little kid when I sleep.  Some bodyguard I am, right?  Noct would—“

“Those are not _your_ words, Prompto.  That is Ardyn – he is speaking through you and I won’t have any of it.” Ignis hissed, harsher than he intended.  But Prompto was a strong man, and had proven himself time and time again and to hear him doubt himself when Noct, nay, when everyone needed him the most… it just would not do.

Prompto took a deep breath and continued, pressing his forehead against Ignis’s chest once more.  His voice was slightly muffled but that didn’t stop Ignis from hearing his every word.

“I’m broken.”

Ignis didn’t know what to say.  He wanted to tell Prompto that Gladio wasn’t as strong as he was pretending to be – that he had lost his father and his friends and hadn’t allowed himself time to mourn because of his commitment to his duty. 

He wanted to tell Prompto that Noctis had been with Lady Luna when she had been murdered, that his father was dead as well, that his future was as dull and bleak as the sunrise-less horizon.

He wanted to tell Prompto that there wasn’t a person left on Eos that hadn’t been hurt by circumstances out of their control. 

And none of that meant that Prompto’s suffering was any less important.  No matter Gladio’s thoughts on the matter, there was a time for tough love and this was not it.  Thankfully for Prompto, however, Ignis was not Gladio.

“Prompto, look at me.” Ignis paused for a second to allow the man to do so.  “I have given up my life in service to the Crown.  I have no family other than the one I have made for myself.  I knew from a young age that I would likely never have a normal life, could never force someone to commit to me the way I would be expected to commit to them – especially considering I would lay my life down at a moment’s notice in service of the King.”

There was a loud snore from across the room and Ignis froze, not wanting to stop his speech but unwilling to invite either Noctis or Gladio into his and Prompto’s private conversation.  After a minute or two, the shuffling settled down and Ignis let his body loosen.

Ignis could feel Prompto’s arms come around him and he left himself relax into the comfort of true friendship before continuing.

“And now I am scarred and no matter what Gladio says, what Noct tries, and what you will likely do to help, nothing will change that.  I repeat, _this is incurable._ And yet, while I know I am not the man I was, I still drag myself along to try and help Noct save the world.  You were grown in a lab? These days, many children are created outside a mother’s womb.  You’re a clone of a mentally unstable scientist?  Does that make a difference to how you choose to live your life? No.  Is the man responsible for this crisis of faith here now?  No.  This is y _our life,_ not anyone else’s.  You made something of yourself and will continue to do so – it is not where you come from are that makes you special, it is _what you do.”_

“Ignis, I—“

“I’m not finished.” Ignis replied in a tone that demanded silence.  “My whole life has been for someone else – and I would not change a single part of it.  And yet, here I am – blinded and unable to partake in any strenuous activity without aid from others, including the one I was sworn to protect.  I am the broken one.  I can never be repaired.  I know the future and can do nothing, once more, _nothing_ to stop it.”

The arms across Ignis’s back became bruisingly tight and Ignis actually felt a slight sense of euphoria at having said the words that lay heavy across his heart for so long.

“So there is at least one other person here would understands you.  But the things that I do, just as I know the things you do, are not for us: we are a team.  Where one of us fails, the others are there to get us to our feet again and force us to keep moving.  And I believe in the future – that there is a future for us all.  I will feel the warmth of the sun on my face again, and you will be right beside me every step of the way.”

There was a rough gesture that Ignis took for Prompto rubbing the tears from his eyes as if the thought of them lingering was embarrassing.

“I never knew, Iggy.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t blame yourself.  I have never told anyone – it is my burden to bear.  But even thought we might seem strong, everyone has their doubts, especially in the dark.  And especially after what you’ve been through.  But we can get through it all.  Together.”

Ignis couldn’t stop himself.  He took Prompto’s head in his hands and pressed his lips to one eyelid, then the other. Then he kissed the tip of the boy’s nose, before pushing their foreheads together once more.

“Prompto, say it with me: together.”

“Together, Iggy.”

“Good lad.” Ignis smiled through the pain his words had brought back to the surface of his own mind, and sat back, attempting to stand up.  “Now if you’ll just point me in the direction of my cot… we all have an important day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Prompto tensed and hesitated.  Ignis could hear the intake of breath.  He prodded the blond in the shoulder.

“Yes?”

“Will you stay with me tonight?  I mean, obviously we’re all together but… like, stay here? With me?”

Ignis could feel his forehead crease in confusion.

“The cot is barely big enough for one person, let alone two.”

“I know, it’s just… it’s like you said.  We both need each other.  Let me help you.  Or… or if you don’t feel right about that, how about this: let me help you _help me._ Please?”  Prompto’s voice took a bit of a pleading quality to it that Ignis suspected was slightly for his benefit.

“… Fine.  But I’m the big spoon.” Ignis announced right as he suspected Prompto’s mouth was formulating those same words. “No arguing or I’m off to my own tiny cot.”

With half-hearted grumblings that somehow brought small smiles to both of their faces, the two men settled into the tiny bed and fell asleep.

No one said anything about their position in the morning.

And as the four men headed off to face their final battle, Ignis couldn’t help catching Prompto’s arm as the man sped past him.  ‘ _Together_ ’ he said with a squeeze.

“Yes.” Came the reply.  “Win or lose, we’re all in this together.”

And in the end…

they did both.

**Author's Note:**

> *peeks out from behind a corner* Too sappy? I don't write angst a lot slash almost ever so even this smidge of it was enough to make me want to write a happy ending. Not sure I succeeded but it certainly wasn't TOO dark.
> 
> The ending, if you're unsure, refers to the fact that in defeating the Big Bad, the won (yay!) and lost (death of a friend). But they were a team until the very end.
> 
> ...I'm done now. xD


End file.
